As soon as Vespera finished speaking, she hung up without hesitation.


    Dominic sat there, momentarily stunned.


    From the driver''s seat, Gerard cast a nce in the rearview mirror. "Yikes... That didn''t sound good," he thought to himself.


    Dominic slowly lowered the phone from his ear, his expression hardening.


    There was no doubt about it-Vespera was upset.


    Was it because he hadn''t gone to get her immediatelyst night?


    He could admit it now-Fawn''s frantic cries over the phone hadpletely rattled him.


    When he found her unconscious, his only thought was to get her to the hospital as fast as possible. Everything else faded from his mind.


    By the time he managed to make the necessary calls, they were already halfway there.


    "Calvert."


    Dominic''s voice came from the back seat.


    Calvert was absorbed in his game, headphones on,pletely unaware.


    Gerard reached over and lowered his phone. "Mr. Reid''s calling you."


    Calvert turned around quickly. "Yes, sir? You called me?"


    "When you dropped Vespera off at her apartmentst night, did she say anything?" Dominic asked.


    "Um... not really. She seemed... pretty happy."


    "Happy?"


    "Yeah! She even thanked me," Calvert added.


    He wasn''t about to admit he hadn''t picked her up at all. Still, Vespera was safe, and she didn''t seem angry with him.


    But Dominic could see the guilt in his eyes.


    cing a hand on Calvert''s shoulder, he said, "Be honest. Which part of your story isn''t true?"


    Calvert''s face faltered.


    Finally, he decided toe clean.


    "Actually... I didn''t pick up Vespera and the othersst night. They made it back on their own. And when I said they were in a safe ce... I was just guessing.


    "But they did make it out okay, and Vespera wasn''t mad. I exined everything to her afterward, and she forgave me right away."


    As he spoke, he pulled out his phone and showed Dominic the message. Dominic''s expression darkened.


    "Are you kidding me, you moron?" Gerard fumed silently.


    Dominic slowly raised a hand to his forehead.


    "I''m sorry, Mr. Reid... I messed upst night," Calvert said, looking like a guilty puppy. "I was afraid you''d be angry. If it makes you feel better, you can hit me a couple of times."


    "What''s the point of hitting you? This isn''t all your fault. If anything, I''m the one who really messed up."


    "What? Why? What does this have to do with you, sir?"


    Dominic couldn''t bring himself to exin.


    Gerard sighed in frustration, ruffling Calvert''s hair. "Just go ahead and y your game, Calvert."


    Dominic fell silent for a moment before reaching for his phone again.


    He''d assumed the situation was alreadyplicated enough, but as he prepared to send a message, he realized it was much worse than he had thought.


    Right there in his inbox was a message from Vespera: "We have an issue at the ball. Pleasee quickly!"


    The timestamp on her message was nearly identical to when Fawn had called.


    ...


    At the apartment, Vespera answered the phone while carrying her suitcase upstairs.


    Raymond called out, "Have you had breakfast yet?"


    Vespera waved him off, assuring him she''d already eaten and he didn''t need to worry.


    Nearby, a kitten batted at a ball, letting out a soft meow.


    "Hey, Snowball."


    Vespera smiled affectionately as she knelt, her fingers tenderly scratching its chin and running through its fur.


    Snowball was so cute-far more so than its owner.


    When Dominic returned, he found Vespera ying with Snowball using a cat toy. She only turned her head when she heard his footsteps.


    Their eyes met.


    She had been smiling while ying with Snowball, but that warmth vanished the moment she looked at him.


    Dominic approached and gently picked up Snowball, his gaze softening as he said, "Let''s head to the study for a bit."


    "Mr. Reid, it''s nearly 8:00 am, and your flight is at 9:00 am," Vespera replied, her tone calm andposed. "You might want to shower and change before we head out."


    One tried to offer an exnation, while the other responded with a gentle rebuke.


    Watching the exchange, Gerard suddenly didn''t feel like going on the business trip anymore.


    He had escaped the battlefield... only to walk straight into the Cold War.